


A Balancing Act, or a Courtship Dance (we’re not sure which)

by ajisaiHunter



Series: Reincarnation AU [1]
Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/strange fake
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-10-14 02:40:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10527123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ajisaiHunter/pseuds/ajisaiHunter
Summary: That series of feelings when you've been reincarnated in modern times but forgot your best friend/soul mate/potential lover and don't start to remember them until you happen to meet again in your mid-twenties.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> What is "Shammy" short for, if not Shamhat? We just don't know! 
> 
> This is entirely based on an AU thought up by Tumblr user siriex; I liked it so much I actually finished a fic, which is a rarity for me! I loved writing it, so I'd like to do a sequel in the near future as well.

**** “En. Enki. Hey, Enkidu!!” 

They definitely couldn’t hear her over the sound of all those barking dogs. She sighed and tied her hair up in a tight ponytail before kicking open the cabinet by the door to the yard and pulling out a box of dog biscuits. One sharp shake and the entire pack bolted over to her, including…

“There you are. En, you’re covered in mud.” 

“Nn? Oh, yeah, haha. Did you need something? Can I have one of those?” 

“For the last time, I know they’re called ‘biscuits’ but they’re not for people. They’re for dogs. Do you remember why?” 

“They don’t taste that bad.” 

“En, c’mon,” Shammy said. Her grip on the box tightened.

Her green-haired friend sighed and rolled their eyes towards the clear sky. “It’s a joke! I will not eat dog biscuits… anymore.” 

“Okay, just checking. Sometimes the finer points of modern society seem to elude you.” She passed out treats, one biscuit per dog. It was still early in the day, so there were only eight so far, ranging in size and breed from beagle to German shepherd mix, including their own dog, a wolf-hybrid named Chimera. Eight dogs and one very dog-like human. “But it makes your nickname very fitting.” 

The mud-covered friend stood up and half-heartedly attempted to dust off their clothes. En could be short for their “real” name--or rather, just their legal name, who knew the true name of a child found living with a pack of wild dogs--and it could be short for “Enkidu”, a character in Shammy’s favorite ancient epic. 

“You’re too pretty to be a wild man made of clay, though.” 

“I took inspiration from you.” 

“Very flattering! You can be quite the charmer when you’re not out here wrestling with the dogs and trying to scratch behind your ears with your foot!” Shammy clapped. Enki’s looks did seem to mimic hers. There was an old wive’s tale that masters and their dogs resemble each other, or start to over time. The same thing had happened with Shammy and Enki over years and years of close friendship, which had eventually culminated into them moving to the same city, rooming together, and working together while Shammy chased her PhD. The doggie daycare wasn’t her ideal source of income, but it was Enki’s. 

“Sometimes I think you’re like, a savant and your talent is animals. What’s that with the theory of nine intelligences? Holistic intelligence?” 

Enki shrugged, leaning to scratch Chimera behind the ears. 

“Were you calling me before? I thought I heard you, but we were all playing…” 

“Oh! Yeah, we can take a new client, right? A large dog? From the looks of it, it’s good money.” 

“Absolutely, please bring in more dogs.” 

“So serious, awesome, I’ll go tell the client they’ve been approved!” 

“You’re very cheerful about this, you do not usually get so excited about more work,” They eyed her suspiciously. 

“Rich client,” she said, grinning. “And maybe a little famous!” 

Enkidu had absolutely no interest in the human client--only the dog. What kind of dog would someone rich and a little famous be dropping off? Hopefully it was huge. They always had to hold back a little when playing with the current dogs because of their size. Even Chimera sometimes lacked the stamina. It’d be nice to have a huge friend to wrestle with! They followed Shammy back inside, half-eavesdropping on her conversation as she picked up the phone from hold. 

“Yes, yes--oh, I’m so sorry! My co-worker was outside--yes, we absolutely have an opening--yes, no problem! Of course, we can--oh, sure. Yes, we’re already open, we open at 5:30. Sure, bring him over any time! I’ll get the paperwork started. Of course. Oh, definitely! Have a nice--ah. He hung up. Well, better get ready, we got a new dog on the way, just in time for the morning rush… what?” 

“Me?” 

“Yeah, you. You’re just standing there smiling at me with that weird spacey look you get.” 

“Nothing in particular. Just remembering that I like you very much.” 

“Aw… I like you too, En. Now get ready for a huge dog that belongs to a very rich client. And I mean now, this guy is kind of impatient.” 

Again, Enkidu had absolutely _ no interest _ in the human client. Only the dog! They decided not to ask Shammy what she knew. Better to have it be a surprise. They didn’t have to wait long, a few minutes later a beautiful and very, very large Tibetan mastiff walked through the door at a pace just shy of dragging their master by their leash. Enkidu’s heart leapt. What an amazing dog!

“Look Chimera--a new friend!” Chimera’s ears perked up and his tail whirred in circles like the blades of a fan. The two of them stood on the sidelines almost vibrating with excitement, waiting for Shammy to tell them it was okay to take the new friend outside. 

It was odd though, the feeling in Enki’s stomach: a twisting knot, a choking lump in their throat as if they needed to contain a sob. Yes, it was very exciting to see such a huge and beautiful dog, maybe even worthy of shedding a few tears of joy, but they had the feeling that was not the source of the physical anguish inside them. Their eyes were unwittingly drawn to the face of the dog’s owner. His presence was like a magnet and so very shiny--the golden hair or the golden earrings? Bright red eyes a shade Enkidu had never seen on a human before. 

They immediately cleared half the lobby to stand next to him. After a fraction of a second where they made eye contact, bright red and forest green, their expressions mirroring each other’s surprise, Enkidu pulled back their arm and decked the man in the face. 

“ENKIDU! WHY!?” Shammy howled.

“Oh--oh my god!” Enki unclenched their fist, raising both hands in the air. “I am so sorry, I don’t know what came over me, I just really, really felt like I needed to…” 

“It’s okay,” the dog’s owner replied, rubbing his cheek. “I wanted to do that too for some reason. Do I… know you?” 

They made eye contact again, just for a split second, and before Shammy could say anything he’d smashed Enki in the face with his elbow. 

It just felt like it was supposed to happen. They weren’t mad. They welcomed the retaliatory blow. Normally, being attacked by a complete stranger would elicit a response of anger, or fear, but instead their heart leapt with joy, as if they had been waiting their entire life to be struck by this golden-haired jerk in the expensive suit. It was almost familiar. 

The dog’s owner passed the leash off to Shammy without a word and both he and Enki lunged at each other. It didn’t matter that they had never met and had no reason to fight, or that neither had originally done anything to provoke the other, or that one of them was a mud-covered dog-loving hippie of indeterminate gender and the other was a clearly wealthy and incredibly handsome potential client; they were going to throw down right there in the middle of that lobby. 

A regular client came in with their labradoodle and Shammy flagged them around the edge of the room. Enkidu worked in mysterious ways and she did not feel confident enough to step in and stop the current grappling match happening between them and their new arch-enemy. 

“You’re so short, how do you have this much strength?” 

“You look too fancy to like working out, it’s strange that you’re not budging.” 

“You’re underestimating how important my image is, which makes perfect sense considering you’re a grubby commoner.” 

“Some people actually like, value integrity?” Enki smiled brightly. They couldn’t strike again while their hands were locked with this stranger’s, but they really, really wanted to punch his face again. Then kiss it. Then punch it… again! 

“Can you even spell that?” 

“Yes, absolutely, without even looking at my phone or calling a maid to do it.” 

“I swear we’ve met before, but it’s hard to recognize someone under so many layers of dirt.” 

“That can’t be right! I’d remember someone so offensively shiny.” 

Their expressions were still mirrored, but had long since morphed from confused surprise to joyous, determined grins. Enki finally pushed forward, shouldering their opponent in the gut, lifting him over the ground, and flipping him over their shoulder while bending backwards. 

“Enkidu! Do NOT German suplex clients! Especially not in the lobby!” Shammy shouted from behind the counter. 

“Oh--sorry--!!” 

Enki doubted someone that obviously well off would have ever had to lift a single finger in self defense, but this client had an impressive recovery time. He’d known how to land properly to avoid the worst of the blow and kicked Enkidu's feet right out from under them. Before either of them were all the way back in standing position, they both lunged again, wrestling to try to pin the other on the dog-hair covered tile floor. 

“Alright, alright, alright--break it up! You’re scaring the other customers!” Shammy, with Chimera at her side, finally rushed over to try to break up the impromptu lobby-brawl. “En, don’t tear the client’s incredibly expensive-looking designer clothes that we can most certainly not afford to replace. That’s not civilized.” 

She took the same tone with Enkidu that she did when she was scolding one of the dogs, firm but not angry. They sighed and rolled over onto their hands and knees, away from their opponent. “You're right…” 

“I am so, soooo sorry!” Shammy said, offering the man a hand. “My friend is a little excitable, but as you can see, they're great with dogs!”

Both Chimera and the new dog had gravitated towards Enki -- Chimera was already licking a perceived wound on his master’s face. 

“What, were you raised by wolves?” The dog’s rich owner asked, one eyebrow raised (over the eye that wasn't darkening by the second with a nasty bruise).

“Actually, they were… long story. I'll, um, get you an ice pack and if you could fill out the paperwork really quickly, we won't keep you any longer…” 

“That would be good. Hurry up.”

Shammy felt blessed that somehow, miraculously, both her oldest friend and likely richest client had decided the sudden fight was all in good fun. There was still the chance he could sue them for all they were worth, though. Before that, she would perform her best customer service routine. She raced to fetch a ziplock to fill with ice while Enki sat on the floor, petting Chimera and the giant mastiff at the same time. The mastiff had already laid down across their lap. That was just Enkidu’s way with animals.

When she returned, she found the new customer had filled out almost all the paperwork and was about to sign the final few lines with a gold and ebony pen that looked like it would be worth a month of her salary. 

“Again, I am very, very sorry. You have to think about Enki like another dog sometimes. Here is an ice pack, allow me to offer a twenty-five percent discount for your first visit.” 

“Discount? No, here, that was so entertaining I'll pay you a tip up front…” He fished his wallet out of his jacket pocket and pulled out a hundred dollar bill, handing it to her as if it was a tissue. She took it hesitantly, jaw dropping ever so slightly. 

“Zasshu?” Enkidu had come over to check the paperwork. If asked, they would have said to see the dog’s name, but that was of course on the brand name, gold-trimmed collar. They were actually checking for the client's name. 

“It means ‘mongrel’ in Japanese,” he replied. 

“But you wrote that your dog is a purebred.” 

Shammy smacked her forehead. What a painful exchange.

“That's more than I can say for you.” 

“It's better than being  _ in _ bred.” 

Shammy ducked behind Enki and put her hands on their shoulders, marching them back to Chimera and Zasshu, who were quick on their way to becoming best friends.

“Please do not make us lose our current most popular candidate for house representative, Gil Gamesh,” she subtly jerked her head in their client’s direction, “because you have trigger happy fists.”

“OH my god is that really his name? Like the guy from that old poem you like? His parents had an amazing sense of humor!” Enkidu said, most definitely loudly enough for Gil to hear.

“Enkidu! PLEASE!” 

“He gave you a hundred dollar tip, it’s fine! Is that why you were so interested in him?”

“That and he owns like five major companies in this city and has his own TV show. No big deal, right?”

“We don't have cable.” 

“There are advertisements all over--oh, nevermind. Just go play with the dogs, okay? And next time he comes in, no brawling!”

“He has a very punchable face, I will make no such promise.” 

“This is the worst regression you’ve gone through so far. Are you sure you don't know each other?” 

“It… kind of feels like we do? It's strange. Like, I almost could have guessed his name…”

“Maybe it was in a past life, haha!”

“Is that possible?” 

“Um… well, depends on what you believe, I guess. Anyways, get lost before he changes his mind. Butter up the dog. He's your type, right?”

“Well, all the shiny accessories and obvious flaunting of wealth is a turn off…”

“The dog, Enki. Wait, are you interested in another human?” 

“Hmmm… I guess so?” 

“I’m not sure what that means,  just don't go punching everyone you find attractive, you got that?” 

“Mm-hm.” 

 

***

 

“Sir, I brought your coffee--eeeeeee?” 

Tine Chelc was not expecting her boss to arrive ten minutes late to the office sporting a nasty black eye. 

“Better be light on the sugar this time. By the way, refill this.” 

He threw a soggy plastic bag at her as soon as she placed the mug down on his desk. She caught it one handed, of course. There was a reason she alone had been chosen as his assistant. 

“I’ll be… right back…” She turned and mechanically made her way back down the hall. 

Should she ask…? It was sometimes hard for her to gauge what her boss would find humorous and what he would find insulting, and heavens forbid you accidentally insult him. She was not going to allow a little curiosity to ruin three months of hard work towards a potential paying summer job. 

Tine Chelc was on a lifelong journey to make life better for her people, no matter how she had to do it. The most plausible route seemed to be going into politics, and that required money, which required connections. She finished high school in three years and entered college as a sophomore, immediately seeking out an internship. There were plenty of large companies in the same city as her university, but because of her age (and more unfortunately, her race), she’d been shunted into position of a lowly gopher. For the first two weeks of her second semester, she stoically put up with office harassment and a severe underestimation of her abilities and intelligence all day, with a heavy load of classes at night. 

But she would persevere. She was working for something bigger than herself. 

And to get it, she needed some _ one _ bigger than herself, at least in spirit. 

Two weeks in, the head of the company, the actual top, was at her office. She was expecting someone older, with less gaudy gold jewelry, and no leopard print on their person. She knew who he was, and his name, but it took every fiber in her being not to choke with disbelief when he introduced himself with it in front of her. 

Gil Gamesh? First of all, what an amazing coincidence to have such a surname. Second of all, who were his parents…? She said nothing. She was scolded for trying to show off her efficiency in the background, but she’d been noticed. Gil -- whoops, no, it was Mr. Gamesh, or just ‘Sir’ for her -- had said he liked her sharp style and determined eyes and everyone she had met before him was a fool who had not seen how useful her talents were. Then, without even asking her, he’d made her his assistant. Of course, she was honored! … he said. Normally an assistant was a lowly position, but not when it was  _ his _ assistant! 

If she could keep her position and make it through school, he was damn right she was honored. It was a challenge, keeping up with a man who owned five completely separate companies, had a TV show, and had abruptly decided to run for house representative after some social media posturing. 

She thought it was amazing and she was going to learn everything she could. 

She came back to his office with a bag full of ice, wrapped in a terry cloth towel, and threw it to him. Naturally, with his coffee in one hand, he caught it with the other. She wanted to see him falter someday, but at the same time, she didn’t. This brief notion made her feel brave. 

“If you don’t mind me asking…” 

“I was attacked by a mutt. Cancel anything involving cameras today.” 

“A dog did that? Your dog?” She went for her tablet, making a show of doing the exact task he asked her to do while fishing for more information. 

“Ha! Of course not. Zasshu knows better.” 

“How big was this dog? Where was it?” Oh no, was he in such a bright mood because that dog was officially set to be put down? That would leave a bad taste in her mouth, worse than the failed first coffee she’d prepared earlier. “Was it stray?” 

He paused, sizing her up. “Bigger than you. When I dropped Zasshu off at daycare. And no, looks like it has an owner who doesn’t know how to control it.” 

A person was involved?! Would he sue? 

“Was it… taken care of?” 

“Yes, but as it was more entertaining than anything, it’s not a problem.” 

It’s not a problem, he said. But he was in a good mood. A better mood than she’d ever seen him. He hadn’t stopped smiling the entire time. Suddenly, Tine had an idea. 

“Was it a dog or a person?” 

His smile widened slightly. It was often hard for her to look away from those brilliant red eyes… his presence was truly powerful, as if he was a star and anything that got close to him would be caught in orbit and begin revolving around him. Maybe she was already caught up in that. If so, she’d like to be Mercury, or maybe Jupiter. 

“At least you know how to read into things.” 

But he didn’t explain further than that. 

“... Did you kill them?” 

He slammed his coffee mug on his desk and doubled over laughing. She hoped that meant the idea was ridiculous, but she would put nothing past him. 

If a human sacrifice  _ had _ been been made, she was grateful for the resulting amazing day at the office. 

 

 

***

 

Gil had people to pick up Zasshu, if he needed them too. He had people for everything. But he was in a whimsical mood and decided to do it himself. 

The girl from that morning stood behind the desk, the end of a cheap ballpoint pen resting on her lips while she looked over documents. She was pretty, in the same amusing way Tine was pretty -- the same amusing way most women were pretty. Temporary. Fun. Like flowers. 

No sign of the green-haired mongrel or their white dog, though. Wait, were they a woman? Women weren’t usually that freakishly strong, but he knew a few. Their resemblance to their more level-headed friend was bordering on uncanny, but maybe the small differences came from a difference in gender. 

Either way, he might have been… no, of course he wasn’t disappointed when the other woman said “En and Chimera left early to get some supplies. Dog food and treats and stuff.” 

“Oh, good--I was hoping they hadn’t turned tail and run, haha.” 

“Enki? Never. To be honest, I think they’d be disappointed if I told them they missed you coming here.” She laughed. “Again, I am so sorry about this morning. They’re usually pretty docile but sometimes weird things set them off.”

He returned her laugh and slapped another hundred down on the desk when she came back with Zasshu on his leash. 

Normally, he would have driven directly home, already having taken far too much valuable time out of his day. 

“Since you had to spend the day in such an awful place, I think you deserve a reward. I’ll let you choose,” he said to Zasshu, who obviously could not understand English, but wagged his prestigious tail anyways. 

Normally, he never would have set foot in any store where it was an option to push your own shopping cart. Zasshu did not share his master’s discerning tastes. He was just excited to be at another place that had many dogs and things that smelled good.

_ Normally _ . Gil was feeling  _ ab _ normally cheerful, so  _ normal _ didn't really apply that day. Zasshu wasn’t an easy dog to drag around. Actually, it was near impossible. He weighed more than Gil, but with a little determination, he slid across the tile floor, gazing wistfully at the passing bones and squeaky toys. 

He almost missed it: a flash of green and white in the corner of his eye, crouched down to examine something further down the aisle. Why wear white if you were just going to roll around in the mud with dogs all day? Well, it’s not like it mattered what you wore if it was that cheap. Without any consideration for common social mores, Gil strode over and grabbed his target by the ponytail. They let out a yelp when when they looked up and locked eyes, a warm smile flooded their face. 

Oh. He hadn’t been expecting that. His heart leapt. But he was not the type to show surprise (or any other emotion) so casually. 

“My god, are you not wearing shoes?” 

“My god, are you still wearing leopard print after the nineties?” 

“Can you not afford them?” 

“I can, I just don’t like them. Did you come here ‘cuz you want to go another round?” They enthusiastically pushed up one of their sleeves, revealing surprisingly well-toned arms. 

“Not tonight, you’ve already set work back a few days. I can’t make appearances with this.” Gil pointed at his bruised left eye. “So expect payback next time, mongrel.” 

“Oh no, I’m so sorry, how will you ever afford to maintain your wine-filled swimming pool in the meantime? I think you should keep it, it’s a good look for you! I’ll replace it as often as you like!” 

They both laughed, then stood awkwardly a moment as if waiting for the other to say something. 

“Well, it’d be a shame to waste even more time on you.” 

“Ah, must his majesty take his leave now? How tragic!” 

“Ha. What was your name again?” 

“What, you ran out of crude nicknames after ‘mongrel’? Considering your name, I’m incredibly offended! You forgot the name of your own best friend?” 

They’d meant it as a joke, but after the words left their mouth, they felt as if they’d been punched in the stomach. All the color seemed to drain out of the world around them, and the sounds faded as if they were coming muffled behind glass. 

Pure, unfiltered truth dripped from the words between them. 

“You might think it’s humorous, but I am named after a king. Who in their right mind names their child after a beast made of clay?”

“Of course, it’s a nickname, idiot.” 

The whole mood of the conversation had changed, both of them suddenly very uncomfortable and miserable for no reason they could discern. 

“Don’t start snacking before you leave the store,” Gil said, nudging the basket full of dog treats Chimera had been dutifully guarding with the toe of his shoe. Enki stuck their tongue out at him. 

They parted ways there, with Gil feeling guilty, of all things. That was not an emotion he was familiar with, nor was it necessary, in general or logically in this situation. He bought Zasshu the most expensive bone they had in stock and drove back home to sulk over wine. 

Enkidu returned to work with Chimera and twice as much food and treats as Shammy had estimated they would need, but instead of going out to play with the remaining dogs, curled up against Chimera in the corner of the yard and napped. There was nothing about the earlier exchange in particular that had offended them. They just felt so lonely and regretful they couldn’t process it while awake. 

_ “Maybe next time we meet, it will be okay.”  _


	2. Chapter 2

The next three days passed and Shammy noticed the mood at home and at work growing darker and darker. The usual clients came by, dropping dogs off before work, but instead of running out to play with them, Enki sat on the steps and sighed. 

“En, what’s wrong?” 

“Nothing.” 

On one hand, it was obviously something. On the other, she hadn’t expected them to understand a feeling they couldn’t put a name to. Or maybe they did understand and couldn’t or didn’t want to explain to her. 

“You’ve been pretty depressed the past few days… are you going to melt into a puddle on the ground tomorrow?” She teased, one more attempt to get information. 

“Zasshu didn’t come back.” 

“Ah, your worthy opponent…” 

“Yeah… we had a lot of fun.” 

Shammy wasn’t entirely sure Enkidu was talking about Zasshu, but she hoped they’d get a chance to watch him sooner rather than later. 

 

* * *

 

 

It had been too good to be true. That one day where everything had gone so perfectly was a single shining ray of false hope for Tine. Each day after that her boss had come into work in a fouler and fouler mood. Every shade lighter his black eye became, he seemed to become more vindictive and less patient. Just when she thought she’d perfected his morning coffee…

She spent the entire day sending emails to people she probably shouldn't have had contact with, trying to decide what her boss meant by “just approve all the good ideas and reject the bad ones”, and forging his signature on things that needed it. She caught on quickly; this was not work she should be doing, it was work he didn’t want to do -- everything he’d labeled as “beneath” him, despite the fact that he was technically the only person who should be doing it. When she tactfully tried to point it out to him, he said,“You want me to waste my time on this? I could finish it in my sleep, don’t tell me it’s too difficult for you!” and she left it at that. 

The only time he looked even remotely happy was when he was patrolling the building and found office drama. She specifically avoided rumors, but had heard there was at least one breakup and several people reduced to tears.

Tine would do every excessive, potentially illegal assignment he gave her and never complain, even if she felt like crying. This wasn’t enough to break her. She had goals to achieve! But she still found herself wishing she could hunt down whatever had put him in a good mood earlier in the week and carry it back to the office. 

 

* * *

 

 

There was no particular reason Gil had not brought Zasshu back to the doggie daycare. It just happened that three days in a row he didn’t need to, and it  _ was  _ out of the way. There was no reason to go if Zasshu didn’t need the company. No reason at all. So he shouldn’t be bothered about it. There was nothing he was forgetting, his memory was amazing and even if he had forgotten something, Tine wouldn’t, and she’d remind him or risk being reprimanded. 

But each night he woke up from strangely vivid dreams, always spending a frustrated half hour glaring at the ceiling as he tried to figure out what meteors and mountains had to do with anything. His mother was good at interpreting dreams, but the last thing he was going to do was admit he was curious about what they meant while he had a lingering emotion. Whatever it was, it had no business being there. He was above it, it wasn’t going to bother him. 

Tine’s coffee had been terrible the past three days, so on the fourth morning, he stopped at a cafe that ranked ‘acceptable’ by his standards. At least if this coffee sucked he could complain and make a barista cry. Tine would never falter over something like being told she’d made terrible coffee. It was one of her most appealing traits, but in his current mood, it pissed him off. 

It was a bit late in the morning for the place to still be so crowded. Didn’t these people have jobs? Someone could fire that one back at him. By regular standards he was late, but since he was in charge, “on time” was whenever he walked in. Maybe he’d go in extra late to see if he could catch anyone slacking off and possibly fire them. He had plenty of data to burn so he might as well sit there like a commoner and check every app on his phone while having coffee. 

He took a test sip from the drink the barista had handed him over the counter (she was absolutely fixated on his face and had almost dropped it, but he mentally forgave her because it happened a lot, he was that flawless). The same time as that single sip, he caught a flash of green in his peripheral vision, turned excitedly to see the source, and ended up spitting it back over the counter. 

“OH. My god. So graceful! So majestic!” 

Neither one would admit how happy they were to see the other. Gil had completely forgotten about coffee at the sight of Enkidu in a miniskirt and thigh high socks. So she’d been a woman?  _ No _ , not necessarily. The long hair and pretty face would have indicated as much, and they were built quite gracefully, but that muscle tone… whatever, it wasn’t like gender mattered. Those socks served their purpose of accentuating legs perfectly well as it was. 

“Don’t think the barista really needed a shower in the middle of her shift,” continued Enki, beaming. “Or if it’s that bad, you should suck it up and drink it anyways. So rude.” 

“Nice socks.” It came out more as a genuine compliment than the sarcastic comment Gil had intended to disguise it as. How dare someone look so perfect. 

“Oh-ho, thank you! And I like your hair up! But snakeskin makes you look even sleazier than leopard print--well, I guess you’re just trying to be honest with your appearance, that’s noble of you!” 

Enki was at the counter about to pay, but before they could pull out their wallet or a firstful of spare change or a wad of bills or whatever it was poor dog-like people of undetermined sex kept their money it, Gil swiped his card through the machine. The receipt printed out while Enkidu blinked and stared in shock.

“Eh--huh? Excuse me, your grace? What was that you just did?” 

“I went high.” 

“Oh, so kind! My hero!” Enki pretended to swoon, dramatically leaning against Gil’s arm. 

They both froze. 

The whole thing felt rehearsed. Or, not so much rehearsed as practiced. Like it was something they did all the time. As if banter between the two was the natural state of things. They both felt compelled to search for the nastiest insults possible, preferably ones that would lead to blows, like it was a game. Because no matter what it was they were saying to each other, the fondness would be implicitly understood. 

Enkidu slowly stood up and edged around Gil to the other end of the counter to wait for their drinks. 

“Thank you for your valiant act of kindness once again! I guess I know what your taste is now!” They grinned and pointed to that thin, uncovered band of bare skin between the tops of their socks and bottom hem of their skirt. 

“I forget what it was your friend said you were raised by, was it wild dogs or whores?” 

“Well, Shammy works part time as an escort sometimes to pay for school. I’m happy some of her feminine wiles rubbed off on me! Anyway, you should bring Zasshu back to daycare. Stop hogging him all the time. Seeing your glitzy face in the morning is way more energizing than coffee, too. It makes me want to tear down a building out of anger.” 

“I feel the same. I’ll consider it, but only because you’ve managed to be entertaining.” 

Enki smiled like a cat on an internet meme as they took the drink holder with their order (two coffees and a cup of whipped cream for Chimera). 

“I’ll be looking forward to it, Goldie! Your face is a little too frustratingly perfect without a battle wound or two to balance it out.” 

Gil flipped them off, taking a long sip of coffee. It was decent, not as good as Tine’s better attempts, but better than her average. 

He watched Enki walk out backwards, making double pistols and winking mischievously. Once the last strand of green hair was out of sight, he got back in line to order tea for his assistant. 

 

* * *

 

 

Gil dropped off Zasshu the next day. And the next day. And even the next day. Every morning, Enkidu came running in from a different direction trying a new attack. Shammy was thinking about instituting a “no brawling on daycare grounds” policy. It was strange to see someone match Enki’s strength and take their boundless energy in stride. Even stranger that is was a local celebrity. At least there had been no more black eyes. 

Soon enough, Friday arrived again. 

“Hey, En. Some of my friends invited me out to a club tonight. You want to go?” Shammy asked, trying to sound innocent.

“Like with dancing and lights and alcohol and stuff?” 

“Yeah. They're bringing guys so it'd be cool if you could come and act as like, my bodyguard, haha.” 

“Of course. I'll protect you any time.” 

“Okay, cool! I've got some clothes you can wear, it’ll be nice to go out!” 

 

Roughly around the same time, against most odds but not all, Tine Chelc was contemplating erasing all of her social media accounts and skipping town. She knew it wasn’t possible; she’d come too far to give up. But she was having trouble reconciling a promise she’d just made. 

“Your sour expression is far more offensive than this mediocre coffee.” 

She snapped back to reality as her boss addressed her. 

“Sorry, sir! Mr. Gamesh… sir,” she finally decided. 

“You seem troubled.” 

“It’s nothing. What’s wrong with the coffee this morning? I thought I got the perfect balance of sugar…” 

“Whatever it is, are you just going to sit back and let it happen without attempting to solve it?” 

“It’s not such a big problem. Just a small, unavoidable thing…” She was treading dangerous territory, talking personal problems with her boss. Unfortunately, it looked like she had his interest. “Well. You know the HR department two floors down? I have lunch with them sometimes.” 

She glanced over to see if he was still listening. He was, intently. Shouldn’t he have been bored right now?

“Of course I know of it, but I never bothered learning who actually works there.” Of course he didn’t. He didn’t need to know. 

“Welllll… they all decided to go out tonight and they insisted I come along. I froze up and I couldn't think of an excuse in time to say no.” 

“My god. Are you that a-social?” 

“It’s not really that. They want to go to a new club that opened… I don’t really like that kind of venue, but…” 

“Who organized it?” 

“Eh?” 

“Who’s head of that group -- not the department, that social group.” 

“It was Flat’s idea… Escardos.” 

To her absolute horror, he buzzed the HR department and requested Flat comes to his office. She didn’t know why exactly she should be horrified, but whatever was about to happen it couldn’t be good. 

“Excuse me, sir, but why did you…” 

“I’m helping you out.” 

“You’re not going to fire him!?” She liked Flat, she didn’t want him to get fired. Her boss just laughed. She wrung her hands anxiously until Flat stepped through the office door. How thick was the glass in the window? Would it break if she jumped through it? 

“You wanted to see me, boss?” If Gil didn’t recognize Flat, Flat of course recognized him, the very top of the pyramid. Also, he might have seen him on TV. 

“My lovely assistant Miss Chelc says you roped her into going out tonight.” 

“Well, yes, we did.” 

Nothing had prepared Tine for this situation. Why did this have to happen? She thought she was doing well. Maybe she still didn’t like coffee, but hadn’t the tea brought to her earlier in the week been meant as an olive branch in that respect?

“Why didn't you invite me?” 

She almost snapped her neck doing a double take. 

“Huh? You want to go clubbing too, boss?” 

Gil crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair, looking quite put out. 

“Maybe I do.” 

“Whoa -- we had no idea! Of course you’re invited, that’d be great! I guess no one thought you’d have time or maybe you wouldn’t want to go with us underlings… No need to pull a Maleficent on us, you can definitely come! That is, if you’d like to.” 

“I would.” 

“Oh, great! I’ll send you an FB invite. The more the merrier!” 

Tine was sure her mortal soul was in the process of leaving her body. How could this have happened. How could this have gotten worse than it already was?

“Great. That’s all. You can get back to work now.” 

“No problem! Let me know if you need anything else, boss!” 

Tine decided that Flat Escardos had no survival instincts and in that moment, she envied him. 

“Sir… why?” Did he know what horrible anguish he had just put her through. A slow smile crept across his face as he leaned forward to rest his chin on his hand. This was the face of a predator who thoroughly enjoyed playing with its prey, maybe more than eating it. Oh, he definitely knew. 

“Because I can.” 

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey, is this Kpop?” 

“WHAT?! EN, YOU GOTTA TALK LOUDER OVER THE MUSIC.” 

“I SAID IS THIS KPOP?” 

“OH. YEAH, IT IS!” 

The thing about clubs is that they were LOUD and CROWDED and kind of DIRTY. Or just dark. It was hard to say if it was clean or not with the lights constantly flashing. Enkidu did not mind this, for the most part. The thrum of the bass and rhythmic wave of the huge mass of dancing club-goers had it’s own allure. How could they not get excited when there was so much energy in the room? 

“HEY, SHAM. CAN I TAKE OFF MY SHOES?” 

“WHAT? NO. GROSS.” 

“But these are so uncomfortable…” 

“WHAT?” 

“I HATE THESE SHOES!” 

“KEEP YOUR SHOES ON, EN.” 

Enkidu groaned in defeat, but couldn’t go against Shammy’s words, so on the shoes stayed, even if they were kind of tight and too heavy and pinched at the toes. They ate the cherry off Shammy’s cocktail and wriggled their way out of the group at the packed bar. On a fundamental level, they did not understand music, but that didn’t stop them from enjoying it. Anything with a good beat made them want to move, and if dancing was the appropriate way to move in a club, that was fine, they would dance. 

Something cold and wet spilled over their shoulder. They cringed and looked down at their shirt--fresh red stain, smelled alcoholic and a little grape-y. The person who had spilled their drink on Enki’s shoulder started to apologize but then paused before even uttering a single actual word. Enki looked up and was met with a flash of gold. 

“Goldie!” 

“This mongrel…” 

“Oh-my-god the whole jacket is leopard print this time! Lord of the night! Are you drinking red wine!? Amazing!” Enki clapped excitedly.

“I didn’t think they allowed pets in places like this. Where’s your master?” 

“I dug my way under the fence, so I’m free tonight.” 

“Don’t bite anyone.” 

“And look, I don’t know about rich people, but normal people don’t usually try to wash dogs in wine. Or are you just an alcoholic? I feel sorry for Zasshu.” 

Then they both noticed they were leaning in so closely they didn’t need to yell, and that was why they could hear each other. They waited in awkward silence for the other to explain the reason behind this, but neither of them did. 

“Speaking of this shirt though, someone leant it to me,” said Enki, after a beat. They were smiling. “So actually, I’m kind of mad now.” 

And then, like at their first meeting, decked Gil the in face. 

Or would have, if Gil hadn’t twisted out of the way. He’d been waiting for this all week, but felt like he needed a reason to throw the first punch, so he hadn’t. Now that it’d been taken care of, he could fight back without complaints. 

The crowd parted in panic as the two started brawling, squeezing to the sides to clear that corner of the dance floor as Kpop exploded from the speakers. The dance floor was a fitting place for them to fight; from an outsider’s perspective, it almost  _ looked  _ as if they were dancing -- violently. Enkidu kicked off their shoes immediately and was able to move that much faster for it. Abnormally fast, though it wasn’t like they’d had any formal training. For Gil’s part, he’d tried various martial arts over his lifetime and never stuck with any of them, but moved as if he were a master of all of them. 

The floor was simultaneously too sticky and too slippery for Enkidu in socks, so they compensated by keeping their feet off the ground performing kicks. To avoid taking Enkidu’s heel to the chest, Gil had to remain  _ just _ out of punching distance and constantly in motion. They never touched each other, but they threw themselves into it with everything they had, making the whole thing seem practiced. For Gil and Enkidu, it was more like it was nostalgic. 

That is, until they were both lifted off their feet, separately, by security. 

Gil did not get the chance to try to pay the guards to ignore the whole thing and Enki did not get the chance to find their shoes. They were both firmly escorted out, awkwardly standing in front of the club hyped up on adrenaline and kind of cold, because it was still only March. 

“Let’s go get drinks,” Gil said. Despite the framing, it was an invitation, just issued by someone with the confidence that only an idiot would turn it down. 

“Yeah, alright.” 

The two of them ended up in a tiny dive bar two blocks away where the first thing they did was order shots of the strongest liquor available to see who could down more faster. They both made it to six before the bar ran out. Gil immediately requested red wine. 

“Haha, that’s so precious --pretentious-- presh-ten-shus.” Enkidu slammed down half their draft beer before continuing. “I knew it, I knew it.” 

“Of  _ course _ , you go for the dog food of alcohol.” 

“I don’t see  _ you _ payin’.” 

Gil smacked a twenty down on the counter. 

“Haha, yaaaay! I’m forever in your debt, your majesty! So kind, always buying me beverages. What a great king-friend!” 

“O-ho, so we’re  _ friends  _ now, eh, mongrel?” 

“Yah, I’m friendzoning you in case you think buyin’ me drinks is gettin’ you anywhere.” 

“I’m not into bestiality.” 

Enki snorted into their beer. 

“HA. Haha. I guess I just don’t understand humans! Woof!” 

“Che. Humans are easy to understand. So easy it’s boring! Be happy in your obliviousness!” 

“Guess we’re kinda opposites in that respect, huh?” Enki asked thoughtfully. “But it doesn’t really feel that way.” 

Gil shot them a quick glance out of the corner of his eye before focusing back on his drink. “Are you  _ sure _ we haven’t met before?” 

“We totally did! Like thirty minutes ago, down the street. And then at my work before that. And at a coffee shop before that.” 

“Ha, yes, very amusing. Before this. This year. Way before.” 

“Hm… maybe in a past life, then!” 

“Were you a dog then, too?” 

Enkidu shrugged. “You definitely smell familiar.” 

“What.” 

“Heh-heh-heh…” 

“Next time, I’ll kick your ass somewhere we can’t get thrown out of.” 

“Just come see me at work more often, if you want an ass-kicking.” 

“I’ll come whether I want an ass-kicking or not, Zasshu needs the exercise.” 

“This is also good. Then just come and say hi or something. Or maybe get coffee sometimes. Or drinks. Or anything.” 

“Being forward now, are we? I know my presence is absolutely irresistible, so I forgive you.” 

“It kind of is, though. I felt really bored when you showed up and then didn’t come back. Worse than bored. Bored and sad.” 

Gil put a hand on their shoulder, but didn’t say anything, especially not that he knew exactly how Enki felt. 

“WOW, guess I am getting pretty drunk! Haha! That’s too sentimental. But anyway, you can still come by. I miss seeing your stupid gold head!” 

“Likewise, but with your stupid green head and filth-covered commoner clothes.” 

“So is your underwear leopard-print too? To complete the entire douche-ensemble?” 

“Do you even  _ wear  _ underwear? Seems like too complicated a concept for you to understand.” 

Back to insults, something they were both more comfortable with, or more accurately, comfortable with being comfortable with. Eventually, Shammy came to fetch Enkidu and Tine came to beg for a ride home (when she found her boss extremely drunk, she called them both an Uber). 

 

“So I found my shoes but you were still missing,” Shammy said as she walked Enki back home. 

“We had a good time.” 

“I can see that.”

“Sorry about your shirt, though…” 

“Don’t worry about it, I can try washing it out or I can get another one with the generous tips your new best friend has been leaving. I don’t think he understands the concept of money -- he’s got so much it doesn’t even matter to him anymore.” 

“Haha, that’s about right! It pisses me off, ‘cuz he has bad taste.” 

“You seem happy right now, though.” 

“Hey… do you think people can be reincarnated? And would it be possible for them to have met before?” 

“Hm… I don’t really know. Why, do you think you two were enemies in the past?”

“I don’t hate him. Well, actually I kind of do! But not in a bad way. It just feels like we’re supposed to fight a lot. But I like it.” 

“Star crossed lovers?!” 

“Haha, that’s gross.” 

“You should see your face when he comes in to drop his dog off! First it lights up, then you get this really evil smile, it’s hilarious! Hey, do you think we knew each other in a past life?” 

“Hm… I never thought about that… but I do think I needed to meet you. Sometimes, I used to get mad that you found me and made me come live like a normal human. But actually, I like it. So I’m glad we met.” 

“Awww, Enkiii… I'm glad I found you, too.” She leaned against their shoulder, and they leaned back against her, supporting each other's’ weight as they burst out laughing. 

 

* * *

 

 

“Wh… why are we in the back of a minivan?” 

“Sorry, Sir. This is our Uber ride.” 

“Tine. Chelc. Why are we having an uber ride? Oh… goddammit…” 

“Sorry again, sir. I wanted to go home and I was worried about you, so I went looking. You were too drunk to drive, though. I ended up calling for a ride.” 

Gil vaguely remembered Tine arriving at the bar with the woman from the doggie daycare, and then trying to drag Tine to his car (although he couldn’t remember where it was parked). 

“... Thanks.” 

“Who was that you were with at the bar? A friend?” 

“Ah, yeah…” He was still drunk, not hungover yet. Thank god the next day would be Saturday. Not that he could bring himself to regret showing off. He hadn’t lost, after all. 

“You two must be really close. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you looking so carefree.” 

“Hm. Chelc.”

“Yes, sir?” 

“Stop talking or you’re fired.” 

“Of course, sir.” 


	3. Chapter 3

The next week passed by less eventfully. Whether it was out of a desire to see Enkidu or just out of necessity, Gil showed up with Zasshu Monday through Thursday. Shammy was relieved they only fought once (and that she could blame Gil for bringing Enkidu something caffeinated to drink). 

Friday was when things got interesting. Gil’s phone went off about thirty minutes before the alarm was supposed to. It snapped him awake, annoyed. The person calling should have been grateful there was distance between them. Even he couldn’t have predicted it would be Tine on the other end of the line. 

“Good morning, Sir -- sorry to call you before you come into work.” 

“This had better be good.” 

“Yes, of course. I came into work early, as usual, and noticed you’re supposed to be at the airport in two hours. You have a business trip this weekend. I wasn’t informed about it, so I’m not sure--” 

“What!?” 

“I can send you all the information I’ve received, hardly anyone else is here… ah, it looks like it was caused by a mistake in the system, someone put the date in wrong.” 

He had known about this business trip, of course. It just wasn’t supposed to be for another two weeks. Whatever, he could make it work, he was just that talented. 

“Fine. Meet me at the airport, then.” 

“You want me to meet you there?” 

“Yes, you’re coming with me.” 

“Eh? Sir, please consider--” 

“Two hours, airport,” he said, yawning into phone’s mic as he hung up on her with the tap of his fingertip. 

Two hours…

 

* * *

 

 

Within that two hours, Shammy picked up the phone at work for a surprise request. 

“Oh, good mor -- no, they’re out right now. They took Chimera to get me breakfast. I’m sorry, you want  _ what _ ? Hold on juuuust a moment.” 

Shammy pulled a very dangerous move and put Gil on hold. She had to think this over. Under normal circumstances, she would have immediately told a client requesting her friend, co-worker, and roommate to spend the entire weekend at their house to watch their dog no. Politely! She would have said they didn’t offer such services. But she loved Zasshu, and Enki loved Zasshu. Enki maybe even loved Zasshu’s owner, who would surely have no problem paying any amount she asked. 

She  _ did _ have a recent applicant for a part time position she could probably pull into working that weekend… She took Gil off hold. 

“They’ll totally do it!” 

Actually, she was a bit jealous. Getting paid to babysit a dog in a super-swanky condo downtown? She'd offer to do it herself, but she felt like the job, the very request itself, was for Enkidu. 

“I’ll send them over when they get back, so please send in any specific requests you have!” 

For anyone else, she’d feel like she was throwing them into a lion’s den. Well, she was still throwing Enki into a lion’s den, it’s just that Enki could probably strangle a lion with their bare hands. They would be fine! Actually, she was probably doing them a favor. It’d be good to get their feelings sorted out. 

 

* * *

 

“Whoooaaa… Chimera, this building is so tall! Of course, Goldie lives at the top, haha. What a pretentious asshole. Let’s go see Zasshu!” 

Around noon, Enkidu and Chimera arrived at the condo complex downtown where Gil lived. According to the information Shammy had written down for them, Gil’s place took up the entire top two floors. The security code for all the locks was included, but if it was the middle of the day, the housekeeper would be there, so she could let them in (which she did--Zasshu recognized them, which was good enough proof for her, apparently). 

Enkidu was unaccustomed to being in such high places; the view was incredible, the entire city sprawling out towards the horizon on all sides. They felt queasy and energized all at once. 

“A pool! He has his own pool! And a gym!” While the housekeeper was working in the kitchen, Enki ran around the house with Chimera and Zasshu. “Oh, you have so many beds everywhere, Zasshu! And your bowls are made of copper! So fancy!” 

The three of them stampeded down the freshly cleaned hallways, sliding around the corners, climbing up and down the stairs on all fours. Although neither dog could understand Enki’s chatter about leopard print and gold trim, they sure were happy to be together! 

“Oh, security cameras! That's a little creepy… hi there!” Enki waved at every camera they found on their haphazard tour, wondering if Gil cared enough to actually monitor them. Technology sure had advanced the past few decades! The camera feed could probably be monitored through some kind of app. Hell if they were tech-savvy enough to understand how it worked, though. 

After burning off most of their energy, the trio watched TV on the big screen in the living room. The housekeeper had to show them how to use it before she left. Enki spent a few hours flipping channels on the clearly expensive leather couch before it was time for Zasshu’s dinner. 

“Zasshu, I think you eat better than Shammy and I do,” Enki mused, pulling what looked like carefully packaged leftovers from some celebratory function from the giant polished fridge. The lid had Zasshu’s name written on it in gold sharpie. The kitchen was spotless from earlier. If the housekeeper was that good, Enki wouldn’t worry about making a mess. “Did your dad make this for you? Probably not. Bet he has someone who comes and cooks for him.” 

Rather than finding out if that person was available, Enki split up Zasshu’s leftovers into three portions and shared it with him and Chimera. Since it was “people food”, it would be easy to make more of it if they ran out, so long as Enki could buy the ingredients. 

“Do rich people go grocery shopping? Or maybe he can order anything he wants on Amazon! Like with those buttons.” 

After dinner and another round of TV (so many channels, so many of them with shows about animals), Zasshu got up from his end of the couch and stretched, shuffling out of the room on his own. Chimera hopped up and followed him with Enki right behind. They passed a wine cellar (or would it be a closet, since it was not underground?) that they hadn’t before. Zasshu led them to the master bedroom where he spun around in a few lazy circles before plopping down on his bed -- leopard print, of course. 

“Your master has this huge bed and you sleep down there?” Enki jumped onto the luxurious bed in the middle of the room. “Firm, but flexible. Does he have parties on here? There’s so much space! It seems like a waste to sleep here alone! Oh. Maybe he doesn’t?” 

It was entirely possible that Gil had someone important in his life. Or someone unimportant that he slept with. Enki didn’t really know that much about him outside of work and their previous few meetings. 

“OH WAIT, is that a Mysterious Heroine X body pillow?! Ha, okay, no he sleeps alone, even he must have that much shame!” They belly-flopped into the pillows in relief. Not that they really had anything to be that relieved about. Or had they been just a little jealous before? “... Smells like Gil, haha…” 

They felt like they might have been able to recognize that before they met. 

“Ah… that time, I was upset at him because I felt like he’d forgotten something, but maybe I have as well…” 

 

* * *

 

Only a few hundred miles away, Tine stood stiff as a board by her boss’s hotel room door -- inside the room, nonetheless. He’d told her to book a room for herself too, which she’d done, but there were things they still had to complete before they parted ways. She understood from the moment he’d hung up on her that morning that he’d allowed her to come alone to take care of any excess, menial tasks that came up that he deemed beneath him. It was her job, but she was surprised he'd taken her with him on a trip. Did that mean he trusted her? Would she be able to receive a coveted letter of recommendation from him when her internship was up? 

She was snapped back to reality by Gil’s hysteric laughter. Something on his phone had him doubled-over, clutching his stomach. 

“HAHA! They ate -- the dog food! Absolutely incredible! This is the most entertaining thing I’ve seen all week!” 

“Sir?” 

After a few seconds he regained his composure and showed her his phone. 

“Your friend is watching your dog this weekend? Oh… that’s the dog’s meal. I see.” Considering that looked exactly like the meal she had cooked for herself last weekend, she wasn’t sure she could find it as funny as her boss did. “She’s very pretty -- what’s her name again?” 

“SHE! Haha. Wait, can you tell? It doesn’t really matter, but I was curious…” 

“Uh, no, I just assumed… because they’re very pretty…” 

“Mm. They go by Enkidu.” 

Tine looked from the phone screen to Gil’s face, then back to the phone screen. 

“Please don’t tease me like that, that’s a ridiculous joke, Mr. Gamesh.” 

“I thought so as well, but that’s what they told me.” 

“That’s… certainly an amazing coincidence that you two know each other. I suppose it’s fate.” 

“Fate, you say… oh, about tomorrow’s schedule.” 

“Ah, yes, I have the information right here!” 

Gil’s abnormal levels of happiness over the past two weeks suddenly made total sense to her. 

 

Once a majority of the planning had been completed, Gil started to tune out his assistant’s voice and checked the security feed on his phone again. What he found was Chimera and Zasshu sprawled out on the end of his bed with Enkidu latched onto his Mysterious Heroine X pillow like a baby sloth. 

“Hey--! That should be me!” 

Tine leaned behind him to get a look at the screen. 

“They’re certainly enjoying your bed. Don’t worry sir, we’ll be home before you know it and you can sleep there again.” 

“Ah… yes, the bed…” How could he admit he’d meant the pillow to Tine when he couldn’t admit it to himself? 

 

* * *

 

Saturday, Enkidu woke up in a pile of pillows and dogs. They wiped the drool off their cheek with their sleeve and rolled out of bed. Zasshu and Chimera both stirred, stretching their legs out without moving. Enki let them be, and stumbled into the bathroom, borrowing Gil’s toothbrush without a second thought. 

“Just feels right…” they mumbled to themselves. “Wonder what he’s got for breakfast…” 

All kinds of things. After putting their hair up in a loose bun, they convinced both dogs to come with them to the kitchen. How come someone who probably didn’t cook for themselves had such a well-stocked kitchen? Maybe Gil did cook! Enki chuckled at the mental image of Gil wearing an apron as they cooked some eggs. 

Although they hadn’t been instructed to stay inside all day, they weren’t sure what they should be doing instead. They took Chimera and Zasshu for a walk a while after breakfast, but the surrounding blocks were too congested with traffic and exhaust fumes. It made them sad and a little cranky, so they took both dogs back home and lazed around on the couch, watching cartoons and clips of Harry Potter marathons and sports they didn’t understand. When they got  _ really _ bored late afternoon, they decided to check out what kind of fancy master bath Gil’s place had. 

“Is this a movie set?” There was too much gold for it to be a normal bathroom. Also it was probably bigger than Enkidu and Shammy’s entire apartment. “Oh, it’s a jacuzzi! Nice!” 

They weren’t big on baths, but water jets made things more fun! They climbed around investigating and knocked several bottles into the tub. 

“Uh-oh…” They looked at Chimera, who was curled up on a bathroom rug and Zasshu, who hadn't entered the bathroom, likely being uncomfortable around all the potential sources of water. “You guys won’t say anything, right?” 

Chimera hadn’t even lifted his head. Enki carefully replaced the bottles on their shelf, but soap and shampoo had splattered all over the place. 

“Huh. None of these are hair dye. So he is a natural blond?” Somehow, they’d known that. They’d always known that. “I’m just gonna… turn on the water and wash this up.” 

Chimera stood up and went to lay on a mat closer to the bathroom door as Enki turned on a faucet and let the tub fill. He didn’t want to be anywhere near something called a ‘bath’ either. 

“Is this the jet?” Enki turned a knob that did indeed control the water jets. In about ten seconds a huge layer of foam had covered the entire tub. “Hey…” 

And in another five, formed a mountain. 

“It’s bubble bath! Neat! Ah…” 

Two more and it’d overflowed. Enki quickly shut off the jets. The mountain of bubbles remained. 

“Oops.” 

They stood up and slowly backed away from the tub, whistling until they were back in the bedroom. It couldn’t be  _ that  _ hard to clean up, right? Especially since someone else was going to be paid to do it! Also it looked plain hilarious, Enki wished they could see Gil’s face when he saw it. Hopefully the bubbles wouldn't all pop by then.

 

* * *

 

 

That wish was startlingly close to coming true. Unimpressed with the other party present at the meeting Saturday morning, Gil had cut the trip short, declaring it a waste of his time. Tine had been prepared for that, and so the two of them flew home that afternoon instead of Sunday night. Even after arriving at their airport, he didn’t bother calling or messaging Enkidu. It’d be fun to kick them out himself! Or not kick them out. Maybe because of the meeting and the boring flight, he was feeling wound up in the most unpleasant way. He sent Tine to her dorm by taxi and drove back home by himself.

By then it was about nine at night and when he stormed into his own bedroom, he found Enkidu, Chimera, and Zasshu sleeping in a pile on his bed while the TV played some innocuous commercial in the background. The three of them poked their heads up as soon as he stepped through the door. 

“Look Zasshu! Your dad is home!” 

“You seem comfortable.” 

“Right? This bed is amazing! You have a Mysterious Heroine X body pillow?” 

“THAT is a rare and valuable treasure in its own right.” 

“Yeah, yeah, sure, sure, I totally believe you! You look kind of stressed, maybe you should take a nice bath!” Enki offered with a suspiciously oblivious smile. 

“Maybe a shower at least…” Gil opened the bathroom door, filled with apprehension. Rightfully so: the bath was still entirely covered in a mountain of bubbles. 

“Oh, wow, I wonder who did that…” Enkidu managed to squeak out before bursting into a fit of laugher. 

“Alright then…” Without another word, Gil grabbed them around the waist, hoisted them off the ground, and tossed them in the tub. 

Water flooded out; a cascade of bubbles flowed across the floor. It was an even bigger mess, but somehow Gil felt incredibly satisfied. 

After a moment of confused flailing and sputtering, Enkidu stuck their head out of the foam, completely soaked and bearing a striking resemblance to the ghost girl from The Ring. It was Gil’s turn to laugh. 

“I think that will suffice as revenge!” 

Not quite. The second he leaned too close to the tub Enki grabbed him by the arm and yanked him in so that he flopped right on top of them and they both ended up wrestling for a few minutes until Enkidu sneezed in Gil’s face and declared victory. 

“You look like a drowned rat,” Gil spat, trying to reach the closest towel without dragging himself out of the tub and bringing several gallons of water with him. 

“And you like like a drowned  _ golden  _ rat!” Enki replied, reclining against the other side of the tub, spitting out a stream of water. They started to gather up their hair in a thick clump so they could wring it out. “That was fun!” 

Gil was about to debate that, just to be contrary but… something about the lighting, the atmosphere, the sequence of events was so, so familiar, even more than before. Not just a feeling but an actual memory: this had happened before. Brawling at their first meeting, trying to out-drink each other, purposely egging each other into fighting, dragging each other into the bath or a river or some other body of water--that had all happened before. They’d done all of it already, in a different time, in a different place. 

Every day was like that when they were together, doing stupid things, finally having someone that just seemed to understand and accept what they were thinking. That other person that was less and more human than anyone else, during a lifetime where neither of them had actually been human. 

“Are you crying!?” Enki clapped one of their hands over their mouth, trying to stifle a laugh. 

“No, I’m soaking wet.” This was a lie. He felt like his heart was being wrenched from his chest. “Listen--” 

“It’s okay to cry! It’s also hilarious, but please don’t hold back on my account! It's nice to see you expressing an emotion!”

Gil pushed himself to the other side of the tub, one hand on the edge over Enkidu’s shoulder to steady himself. 

“No, listen--” 

“Ah, you are crying! Haha!” Their face quickly softened and they sniffled. “Oh… wait…” 

“You’re crying too!” 

“I just… remembered something… even though we were joking about it… How did this happen…” 

Gil cupped Enkidu’s face in both hands. 

“You  _ died _ … that was the worst -- I thought--” 

Enkidu choked out a laugh and put their hands on Gil’s shoulders. 

“It’s okay -- I’m here now, it’s okay!” 

Okay? After so many lifetimes apart, after being so painfully separated, it was okay? With the heavy implications hanging over their heads and the confusion and everything they didn’t understand and might not ever understand…?

It was okay. It was okay because they were both here now and would continue to be so, together.

“Let’s stay away from girls whose names start with ‘I’ and bulls forever, though. I just developed a phobia of both things,” Enki joked, punctuating their sentence with an awkward hiccup.

“Sure -- I also remembered how much I hate snakes.” 

“Adorning your body with the skin of your defeated foes?” 

“Absolutely.”

“Now that I remember you’re a king, your ridiculously lavish lifestyle makes sense. You aren’t overcompensating, this is just what you’re used to!” 

“Haha… and what would I be overcompensating for exactly?” 

“Oh--” Enkidu short-laughed “-- he doesn’t know…” 

“Since we’re friends, I’ll forgive the  _ impertinence _ ,” Gil pinched Enkidu’s cheek. “Now get out of my bath before you catch an actual cold and sneeze on me again.” 

“Yes, I’d rather not die again so soon. Can’t have you crying again.” 

“Who said I cried at your death?” 

“I seem to remember you did… how dare you give me such an awful last memory? I’m glad I didn’t remember it sooner.” 

“This time, you’re forbidden from dying before me.” 

“As you wish,  _ your majesty _ .” 

Gil threw a towel at Enkidu after they’d both climbed out of the bath and made them sit and let him blow dry their hair (which took a good twenty minutes on its own). Both of them would periodically stop to laugh at the absurdity of the whole thing every few minutes.

“Hey, Gil.” 

“What.” 

“Did you miss me? When I was dead? I was worried you might be lonely…”

“Have you ever read the damn epic? Not that I remember it exactly that way, but it isn’t  _ completely  _ inaccurate.” 

“You kept my corpse around until a worm came out of my nose? Gross!” 

“You’re starting to push your luck.” 

Zasshu and Chimera had fallen back asleep on the end of the bed, completely disinterested in anything that might involve bathing. Gil retrieved the plainest clothes of his he could find and tossed them to Enkidu. 

“You own something with _ out _ gold or leopard print? I’m shocked!” 

“And I’m surprised you learned how to wear modern clothes at all. You’re welcome to sleep naked if you prefer.” 

“Are  _ you  _ going to?” 

“... not this time.” 

“Next time then. We have time.” Enkidu smiled brightly.

“We have time,” Gil agreed. 

They flopped down on opposite sides of the bed and Enkidu rolled over to Gil’s side, kicking the Mysterious Heroine X pillow to the floor.

“You’re shorter than I remember,” Gil said. 

“You’re fatter than I remember,” Enki replied, wrapping both arms around him. He rested his cheek on the top of Enkidu’s head. 

“... it’s because you’re smaller.” 

“Keep telling yourself that, your majesty.” 


End file.
